Garth House's greatest show and holiday beverages

 

Garth House celebrates The Greatest House on Earth

Sparkles, clown noses, hoops and a lion-dog with a magnificent mane greeted guests to the 29^th annual Pour Les Enfants the huge under-the-tent gala to benefit Garth House Mickey Mehaffy Children’s Advocacy Program in Beaumont. In addition to serving great food, several foodie packages were available in the silent auction, including a “Mid-County Madness” set of gift cards from area restaurants. Clever title, huh?

         Executive Director Marion Tanner’s program notes indicate the group has interviewed more than 13,000 victims over the past 28 years. The goal is to help abused children to share their story in a safe space. Of course, the goal is that children wouldn’t have such stories to tell. This social affair helps keep the agency running. The program also included a fitting quote to match the circus theme:

“I am braved, I am bruised, I am who I’m meant to be… This is me.” – The Greatest Showman         

         Who’s your nana?        

         Wissotzky Tea (since 1849) has been playing with nana, a variety of mint that I have not grown or tried or even heard of. Did you think it was a banana thing? I did. It’s not. Their Nana Mint teas are promoted as “mint like no other.” I tore into Ginger & Citrus first as this is a sooth-the-throat season. I went into instant relax mode with the steam and the flavor. I’m saving the lemon for after I enjoy all the homegrown lemons I’ve come into and slipping the black tea into evening rituals because this is also the overeating season. A mug of hot tea is a much better alternative to that extra cake ball. Chamomile has flowers from Poland, Germany and Egypt; Green Tea “adds layers of subtle earthy sweetness for a mint experience. Wissotsky is a trusted name in tea, so please, meet their Nana.

         Drinking up roses

                  “Drink and Be Beautiful” H2rOse encourages. A cool beverage based on rose and saffron is light, as you’d imagine. Maybe the mere 40 calories a bottle is another hook, or maybe the label note that this 2000-year-in-the-making product is hinting at history that Cleopatra and Michelangelo would enjoy it as much as I did. Flavors within flavors include an apple variation. A healthy pour of this water into your fluted glasses would “clearly” impress guests. You’ll be getting that stemware out for New Year’s Champaign anyways, right? H2rOse is difficult to type and easy to savor. Think hostess gifts, too.

         For your honey

         They say Vermont is for lovers. How about a holiday gift pack of gin and raw honey to love all season long? We’re a margarita bunch down here in Texas. Enjoy the warming mingling of flavors that come in a cute boxed set that would be a great gift. Tom Cat gin is barrel aged 4-6 months with whisky-like notes of oak, spice and a finish of juniper and raw honey. Contrast that to Barr Hill Gin, a pure-grain spirit to showcase juniper and raw northern honey, makers say. Gin is something that just doesn’t seem to come up too often in these parts. See what you think about the Vermont way.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who is ready for the holidays. Tell her what you’re serving at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Big in Dallas and rustic joy for the holidays

 

Plant swaps are the best. I heard on KVLU that Beaumont’s Seventh Day Adventists were having a plant and craft swap at their church on Major Drive and began thinking of the shrimp plant and succulent cuttings I could gather. Members had a beautiful fall Sunday for this fun time in their parking lot. I came home with a bromeliad, rosemary, dusty miller and… did that guy say “eternal” spinach? A woman under a lace parasol distributed jars of “faith” seeds and snacks. I got a prayer and a hug from her.

         I just loved how proud people were of the plants they brought and how happy everyone was to learn about new things to grow. Dawn, swap contact, said to look for another one of these days in the spring. Can’t wait.

                      Clean up at breakfast

They do things big in Dallas, but creative blogger Lacey Baier isn’t suggesting you eat a big chunk of carrot cake for breakfast or sneak risky globs of cookie dough.

                      In “Clean Eating Breakfasts and Lunches Made Simple” our heroine tackles two rushed/neglected meal slots and makes them possibly the best part of your day.

                      Carrot Cake Quinoa Bowls are flavored and fortified with coconut milk, grated carrots, cinnamon and ginger and topped with a Greek yogurt-maple drizzle. Could that get you through the morning to a lunch of Miso-Glazed Salmon Sesame Soba Noodles and Bok Choy? Seeing the beautiful photos in this Page Street Publishing Co. production, I hope Baier, creator of A Sweet Pea Chef, opens a restaurant. But she gives you confidence to make low-carb pizza waffles and overnight oat parfaits your family will love at home. She may be the one to convince readers what I’ve always said, eating cleaner and healthier is easier than people think. It’s more fun, too.

                      “Rustic, Joyful Food: My Heart’s Table” – To feed someone is t o love them, Danielle Kartes writes, and lives. Family, love and God are discussed in an intro where this joyful cook shares the very sentimental ups, and the realistic, cash-flow and high-stress downs of owning Mineola, an organic bistro in the heart of Tacoma’s theatre district. Somewhere in all that, she realized that it was joy and not “accomplishments” that made life and now she and her husband and two sons live a more full life, with the added bonus of ham and brie sandwiches and herbed couscous with avocado and slivered almonds.

                      It’s all good and all delicious with her. I’m headed to the store for a can of hominy, which I plan to toast in to seasoned corn nuts and I’m for sure going to puree some white beans. The fall season is just right to get all “hearty” with your plant-based foods.

                      Culinary Thrill Seeking annual pumpkin alert: Her Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie Bars are a swirly work of art. Let’s go serve up some joy with Kartes.

             

                  Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who loves to grow, cook and eat. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Jubilee season: Pass the Gravy and Sit on Santa's Lap

 

               It’s jubilee season; pass the gravy and sit on Santa’s lap

                             If I had to pick just one holiday to spend with Charles Phoenix, I suppose I’d ring in the new year with him. This Ambassador of Americana would have a shiny suit, a dish of his Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms-based Fried Confetti and lots of energy on the big night, then…. There’s the Rose Bowl parade.

                             Showman, crafter and fun guy Phoenix is into classic and kitschy. He had me at “Addicted to Americana” featuring roadside attractions. This colorful book, “Holiday Jubilee,” brings memories on every page merging vintage photos with his new creations to inspire those days of consumerism. You’ll remember grandma, mist up and get a good laugh in, too.

                             But first, Thanksgiving with Charles: Begin the festivities with guests admiring your turkey-shaped assemblage based on a meatloaf festooned with scores of cocktail weenies and cranberries. The tail is a hotdog fanfare and the wattle is, well, breathtaking. Or platter your cheese anc crackers into turkey with a Cheez-It’s breast. Or maybe go Hawaiian with a pineapple chunks and cherries making a face on your Tiki Turkey Dinner Party.

                             Then we head into the author’s most wonderful time of the year with tales of Santa villages and candy cane lanes. While the Light-Up Jell-O Christmas tree is a tribute to the season, I’m loving vintage photos of regular American families enjoying their holidays in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Frosty the Cheeseball Man will leave your guests with a nostalgic taste in their mouths. See what he has in store for Valentine’s Day and the rest of the calendar.

                  From this book we have our regular “pumpkin update.” Phoenix has informed me pumpkin is a superstar of the squash family, but no one wants to eat “squash pie.” Also, Reddi Whip, pumpkin pie’s best friend, is pressurized aerosol technology at its finest, originally invented for bug spray. In 1948 canners replaced insecticide with cream.

                             What the chairman reserved

                             I just call the holidays rum season. Sure, it’s great around Halloween for talking like a pirate, but the rest of the year deserves serious contemplation and reflection. Saint Lucia Distillers presents Chairman’s Reserve in original and spicy varieties that will help you give thanks in late November, get through political discussions and Christmas mixers and enjoy company gathering to honor the new year. Ripe raisin fruit, tobacco and vanilla are “on the finish” of the original. This is “fancy,” but pairs well with another of my favorite holiday treats, Chex mix, heavy on the cayenne. It’s the spicy blend, steeped with local Caribbean tree bark, spices and fruits, most notably cinnamon, clove, citrus peels, orange and vanilla, that make me not mention this Chairman’s Reserve to the guests. It’s for alone time.

                 

            Wonder Melon

            A bottle of Wonder Melon addresses your unanswered questions, but won’t necessarily answer them. Why does it taste so great? They wish they knew. How do makers get the melon into a drink and into the bottle? They’ll never tell. Why does watermelon have more lycropene than tomato? Weird, right? But they will tell you how to enjoy the melon all year long. Hint: look at the bottle. I just enjoyed the watermelon, lemon and cayenne version so much that I went into the watermelon, cucumber basil batch sooner than I intended. But why hold back from good stuff?

They’re making cake with it

  Things have come a long way since Woodstock. The Port Arthur News just wrote about a local CBD shop and here is Koi Naturals CBD with cooking tips. Read up and you’ll know the oil is a far stretch from other products made from the same plants, so no need to plug in your favorite ‘60s rock. Unless you cook to those tunes anyway. The company sent a strawberry tincture and a recipe for a cake along with some tips for the oil: 

• Use fat - For better binding, infuse into a fat or oil-based ingredient like butter, ghee, or coconut oil in order to increase bio-availability and receive full benefits.

• Avoid heat - Be careful when it comes to applying heat as excessive temperatures can cause it to evaporate and lose potency. Use as a finishing touch: try drizzling the oil over avocado toast, pizza, eggs, or mixing into pesto.

                             Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie keeping up with trends and flavors. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Talking Texas in books and seafood

                    

  Two Texas books merging into two seafood finds are in the news.

              “Big Wonderful Thing” is Stephen Harrigan’s whopper history of Texas that everyone’s been talking about. You can get it for yourself for Christmas and still be enjoying it next year. Port Arthur has some mentions, including the Janis Joplin link. You like photos of young Lady Bird and diving just a little deeper into what you were taught in school? Get to reading this Texa-sized book.

                      “Texas Seafood Cookbook and Comprehensive Guide” – Maybe you’ve been wondering about fish tongue, or pepperweed’s radish-like bite, or more about that fish behind the Pompano Club. This is the book that will take you deep into the waters of what you’re eating and what you should have been eating on the fish. There’s recipes for the fish you already love, but honor the homely alligator gar by cooking him as a pot roast or consider that frog skin could create a superior crackling.

                      Fishmongers P.J. Stoops and Benchalak Srimart Stoops were chefs at Foreign Correspondent, a farm-to-table Thai eatery named Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurant in 2015. Stoops was the driving force behind Total Catch Market, a program selling bycatch seafood from the Gulf in Houston. This book is both technical and humorous at once. You’ll learn a lot and then you’ll want to experement a lot.

                      Safe Harvest, a SafeCatch brand, has released jars of seafood soups that will bring a delecate touch to your winter meals. Easy prep is what you need in this early-to-dark season and these soups will be ready for you with mild flavor that pairs well with crusty French bread and your best butter. Close your eyes and you could be in a restaurant with white linens instead of in your warm sweatshirt, cuddled up on the couch.

                      Some of this good stuff comes as clam chowder, salmon chowder and shrimp bisque and all are Whole30 and Paleo approved as well as grain, gluten and dairy-free.

                      It’s smooth and creamy. We Cajuns down here will have our sprinkle of cayenne ready for topping, just in case.

              Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who thinks Texas lives up to all the hype. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com